Method of forming arch supports



Sept. I E. J. MILNER 2,052,787

METHOD OF FORMING ARCH SUPPORTS Filed April 1, 1955 w; 6" EmanueleIMz'Zner iwm Patented Sept. 1, 1936 STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

.This invention relates to a method for making arch supports to be wornin a shoe, and is particularly adapted for making arch supports for useunder the instep.

One of the objects of this invention is to provideasimple method forproducing an arch support which Will have the proper thickness at different points located with respect to anatomical points of the arch ofthe foot, so that when in 101188 the arch support will give an efiicientand satisfactory support for the foot in walking.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple method wherebyan impression from the arch of the foot may be taken on a plastic ma- 15terial to give it the form and thickness at different points related tothe anatomy of the foot,

PM and to provide a simple method for producing an arch support whichwill have the same form and thickness at these different points, so thatgo the arch support will become substantially a repli'ca'of 'theimpressed plastic material or matrix. In the practice of the invention ablank'of compressible material such as rubber, is formed, which isslightly thicker at points corresponding 25 .to the anatomical points ofthe arch of the foot, which are used in the practice of the method; andone of the objects of the invention is to provide'a simple method forreducing the dimensions of the blank atdifferent points on its area toen- 30' T1 able it to correspond with, and to constitute substantially areplica of the matrix.

=Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel steps and 35' -combination of steps,all of which cooperate to produce an eificient method of forming an archsupportf preferred'embodiment of the invention is described in thefollowing specification, while the lo -broad scope of the invention ispointed out in the appended claims.

"In the drawing: "Figure l isa'perspective of a foot-form, which itis'preferable 'to' employ in the practice of the 45' method, and thisview illustrates a chart composed of intersecting'lines on the innerface of the foot-form. V Fig. 2 is a transverse substantially verticalsectionptaken through the foot-form with a matrix 5(Fwithinthe'sama'being impressed by the foot within the form, a portion of theoutline of the foot being indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a plan showing the under side and outline of a matrix afterbeing impressed in the *foot-form. 1 7

(01. 12146) Fig. 4 is a plan showing the outline and under l w face of ablank corresponding to the matrix, and which is to have its thicknessreduced'at different points corresponding to the intersection points ofthe lines of the chart.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3, with portions ofthe matrix broken away and illustrating a step in the method ofmeasuring the thickness of the matrix at a point corresponding to apredetermined anatomical point 01' 1 the arch of the foot.

Fig. 6 is a section through a portion of the blank broken away andillustrating the use of pins inserted in the blank for facilitating thereduction of the blank to the proper thickness at sions of the shoe inwhich the arch support is to be worn. In other words, the interior ofthe foot-form is a replica .of the interior of the shoe in the vicinityof the arch and at the heel. The. interior of the form is provided withmeans for establishing points indicating the location of cor- 1responding pred'eterminedpoints on the plantar surface of the foot, thatis'to say, on the bottom surface of the arch of the foot, and the pointsshown on the form occur below critical anatomical points in the arch ofthe foot that is to make "use of the arch support in a shoe. A pad ofplastic material is then placed in the foot-form and laid over the chartor indicated points in the vicinity of the arch, and the patient thenplaces his foot in the foot-form and places part of his weight on thefoot, and whilethis is being done, the orthopedic specialist who ismaking the arch support, observes the position of the bones of the arch.When the arch has been flexed to the fullest extent that it should beflexed, the pressure on the foot is stopped. The indicated points on thefoot-formare in this way transferred to the pad of plastic material asindicated points which correspond to the points on the foot-form. Inthis way a matrix is produced, which has the proper thickness at thedifferent indicated points. This matrix is then cut'into from its edgeup to :the indicated points to expose sections of the material. Thisenables the thicknessof the matrix 70.130 formed of rubber or similarresilient material.

Mtotheras the lines of the chart 6:. These lines 3| is then cut .down atall the indicated points to a thickness corresponding to the thicknessof the matrix at each of these points. In this way an arch support isformed, which is a substantial,

replica of the impressed matrix.

Referring more particularly tothe parts, I indicates a foot-form whichis made out of any suitable rigid material, but preferably of glass,said foot-form having a sole 2 corresponding to the sole of the shoe andhaving substantially the same dimensions and last. Toward the rear thefoot-form is provided with an upwardly projectin'gflan'ge or counter 3,and this side wall or countefis extended along, the sides of the soletoward the front where it dies out at the points 4 and 5 into the sole.The cross-section of the for mis illustrated in- Fig. 2 and is such thatthe inner face of'the" foot-form corresponds in form anddimensions'tothat of the shoe in which the arch-support is to 'be worn.On the inner face of the 'foot form I provide means' located :at a

plurality of spaced predetermined points corresponding to criticalpoints in the arch' of the foot, for impressinga plastic material toindicate the location of these points upon it. This is preferablyaccomplished by forming a'chart 6 on the inner face of the form, saidchart being composed of a plurality of lines such as the straight lineland the curved lines 8 and 9. All of the lines composing the charthaveintersection points 20,2I, 22, 23, 24 and 25, (see Fig. 1).

:A pad 26 ofplastic material and having approximately the propercross-section is then laid inthe foot-form' over the'chart 6. Thepatients gfoot is then placed in thefoot-form and a portion of theweight of the patient is placed on the foot so asto partially flex thearch of the foot in the foot-form. In order to relieve pressure andfacilitate giving the pad. 26 the proper form, I pre- :fer' to providethe counter 3 at a plurality of points with small orifices orvents 21.These vents havea'relief effect and permit the material of the pad tointrude into them; The chart 6 includesa-line' 28 that forms an outlinefor-the 553;;ohart. All of the lines of the chart are indicated on theinteriorof the foot-form, either by ridges or by small grooves. In thepresent instance I provide the inner face of the foot-form with smallV-shaped grooves 29, which form ridges in the pad. After the pad 26 hasbeen impressed, it forms a matrix 26 .(see Fig. 3), the outline of whichis indicated by the line 28a corresponding to the outline'28 of thechart. In this way intersecting ridges are formed on the matrix producwhich' indicated points correspond to similarly located intersectionpoints on the chart.

In Fig. 4' I illustrate the underside of a blank This blank has the sameoutline as the matrix 26a,'l%1and it also carries a chart composed of aplurality of intersecting lines 3|, which have the same. position andrelation with respect to each may be in the form of small ridges orgrooves formed on the surface of the blank. The blank preferably carriesa plurality of small openings or perforations 32, which are located atthe intersections of the lines 31 forming the chartf on the blank.

After the matrix 26a has been produced by pressure of the foot in thefoot-form, I then reduce the thickness of the blank at the difierentintersection points at the perforations 32, so that the thickness ateach perforation is the same as the thickness of the correspondingintersection point of the lines on the matrix. In order to accomplishthis, I prefer to cut into the matrix With a knife at differentlocations terminating the cut or cuts at the different intersectionpoints of the matrix. This is illustrated at Fig. 5 where a space 33 isleft after removing a thin slice of the material terminating at thepoint [4a, and located between the dotted lines Mb andlfic, in Fig'. 3.The removal of this small slice of material enables the thickness of thematrix at the point Ma to be measured. A plurality of pins such as thepins 34 and 35, illustrated in Fig. 6, are provided. These pins are ofdifferent lengths, and after measuring the thickness of the matrix atthe point Ma for example, a pin 34 is inserted in the perforation 32 ofthe blank 39, said pin having the same length of shank as the thicknessof the matrix at thepoint Ma. The pins of the proper length are insertedin all of the perforations 32 with the heads 36 of the pins all locatedon the same side. The material on the face of the blank 30 is thenremoved to bring the surface down to the end of the pin at eachperforation. This is illustrated in Fig. 7, Where the blank is held upagainst the face of a thin abrading wheel 31, such as a grinding-wheelof carborundum or other hard abrading material.

After the blank has been reduced to the proper thickness at all theindicated points or perforations 32, then the pins are removed andreturned to their proper containers or boxes, and the blank is then acompleted arch support; In using the arch support it should be securedin the shoe in which it is to be worn, in exactly the same position andrelation to the interior of the shoe as the matrix had when it wasimpressed in the foot-form. In order to do this, it is merely necessaryto mark two points on the sole of the shoe, to correspond with any twopoints on the chart 6 in the foot-form. The arch support should, of

course, be secured in this position on the interior of the shoe.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention describedherein isonly one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do notwish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims,to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. A method of making an arch-support which consists in preparing ablank of the arch-support with a plurality of indicated points spacedapart at predetermined locations on the surface of the blank, impressinga matrixof plastic material by the instep of the patients foot within afootform having means on its interior for registering points on thebottom of the matrixthat have the same spacing and relative location asthe first-named points, cutting in from the edge of the matrix to thediiferent'indicated points of the matrix to expose a section of thematrix at the said points, and measuring the thickness of the matrix onthe section at the indicated points the patients foot within a foot-formhaving means on its interior for forming indicated points on the bottomof the matrix, said points having the same spacing and relative locationas the first-named points, measuring the thickness of the matrix at theindicated points on its surface, inserting in the correspondingperforation of the blank a pin having a length substantially equal tothe thickness of the matrix at each indicated point, and then reducingthe thickness of the" the length of the pin inserted in thatperforablank at each perforation until it substantially equals thelength of the pin inserted in that perforation.

3. A method of making an arch-support, which consists in making a blankof the arch-support with a plurality of indicated points located atpredetermined points spaced apart on the surface of the blank and havingperforations located respectively at the said indicated points,impressing a matrix of plastic material by the instep of the patientsfoot within a foot.-form having means on its interior for formingindicated points on the bottom of the matrix, said points having thesame spacing and relative location as the first-named points, measuringthe thickness of the matrix at the indicated points on its surface,inserting in the corresponding perforation in the blank a pin having alength substantially equal to the thickness of the matrix at eachindicated point, and then grinding down the thickness of the blank ateach perforation until it substantially equals the length of the pininserted in that perforation.

4. A method of making an arch-support, which consists in making a blankof the arch-support with a plurality of indicated points located atpredetermined points spaced apart on the surface of the blank and havingperforations located respectively at the said indicated points,impressing a matrix of plastic material by the instep of the patient'sfoot within a foot-form having means on its interior for formingindicated points on the bottom of the matrix, said points having thesame spacing and relative location as the first-named points, measuringthe thickness of the matrix at the indicated points on its surface,inserting in the corresponding perforation in the blank a headed pinhaving its body of a length substantially equal to the thickness of thematrix at each indicated point, and then reducing the thickness of theblank at each perforation and on the face of the blank opposite the headof the pin until it substantially equals tion.

5. The method of making an arch support, which consists in preparing anoverthick blank with indicated points on its surface located tocorrespond with anatomical points of the arch, inserting pins ofpredetermined length in the blank at the indicated points, and removingthe surface of the blank at the different points to give it a thicknessat the pins substantially the same as the length of the pins.

6. The method of making an arch support, which consists in preparing anoverthick blank, with a plurality of indicated points on its surfacecorresponding to critical points of the arch for which the archsupporter is being prepared, inserting pins of predetermined length atthe different indicated points and removing the surface of the blank togive it substantially a thickness at each of the pins that is the sameas the length of the pins.

EMANUEL J. MILNER.

